Chapter 35: Choices and Cultivation Techniques
White Dragon High School.
As a high school known as one of the three great institutions in Songyang City, alongside Purple Cloud High School, it boasted a long history and substantial financial backing. Whether it was the number of students winning competitions each year, the number accepted into the Ten Greats, or the number who suffered mental breakdowns, it held a dominant position in Songyang City.
To many students of White Dragon High School, in fact… what three great institutions? There was only one renowned school in Songyang City, and that was White Dragon High School.
And at this moment, in the cafeteria of White Dragon High School.
Zhang Pianpian was eating her meal while flipping through her Talisman Tome, studying a newly purchased talisman textbook.
Just then, a petite girl sat down in front of her and said mysteriously, “Pianbao, I heard some interesting news. Want to know? Treat me to a meal, and I’ll tell you.”
“Not interested.”, Zhang Pianpian replied without looking up.
The girl chuckled. “Your little brother made quite a splash at the Central Tower last time, but it’s a shame he wasn’t accepted by a Golden Core master in the end. Don’t you want to hear the latest about him?”
Zhang Pianpian’s brow furrowed slightly as she spoke, “It’s worth a nine-yuan pauper’s special at most. Any more, and I’m not interested.”
“That’s enough, that’s enough.” The girl laughed. “It’s a rare occasion to have you treat me to a meal, Pianbao. No one in our class would believe it if I told them.”
Seeing the impatient look on Zhang Pianpian’s face, the girl continued, “My friend at Songyang High School told me the news.”
“Your brother placed third in the grade on this month’s exam, with a total score of 620.”
Zhang Pianpian was surprised. “620 points? Are you sure this information is accurate?”
“Guaranteed,” the girl said. “That score would be enough to get into the top fifteen among our first-years here. That’s incredible.”
“Didn’t you say your brother’s talent was lacking? It seems pretty good now.”
A trace of doubt flashed in Zhang Pianpian’s eyes.
“My judgment is never wrong. He doesn’t possess the talent to walk the Immortal Dao. It seems something must have happened to him recently.”
The girl asked, “The student council at Songyang High School will probably have their eyes on him now. Aren’t you going to help him out?”
Zhang Pianpian lowered her gaze and said faintly, “We’ll see what he chooses for himself.”
“If he’s willing to sign a contract with the student council, his high school life will at least be a bit easier.”
“Are you testing him?” The girl pouted. “Isn’t that a bit too strict? How many students can really withstand the pressure from the student council?”
Zhang Pianpian said coldly, “If he can’t handle it, then he must walk a path suited for those who can’t. Otherwise, my help would do more harm than good.”
“What he is truly made of will ultimately depend on the choices he himself can make.”
Songyang High School.
Zhang Yu could clearly feel that the atmosphere of the entire school had changed.
During breaks, classmates he wasn’t very familiar with started to greet him.
“Zhang Yu, your physical strength has improved so quickly. Is it really from natural body tempering?”
“Zhang Yu, can I borrow your martial theory exam notes to take a look?”
In the hallways, students from other classes whom he didn’t know would point at him.
“Look, that’s the Zhang Yu that Teacher Lei was talking about.”
“Sigh, these monsters from the model class really don’t give anyone else a chance.”
In martial arts class, Teacher Lei Jun repeatedly played the video of him defeating He Dayou.
He even had Zhang Yu describe his combat strategy from that moment, causing He Dayou’s blood to surge and his heart to pound with ever-increasing strength, as if he were being revitalized.
In the cafeteria, students began to intentionally detour past Zhang Yu’s table, seemingly to sneak a peek at what dishes he was eating.
There were also some students with whom he had no real connection who wanted to sit and eat with him.
At dinnertime, Zhang Yu simply called Zhao Tianxing over, pulling him to eat together with him and Bai Zhenzhen.
After all, Zhao Tianxing alone could occupy two seats, so the three of them filled the entire table perfectly.
As for that kid Zhou Tianyi, who knew what he was up to today. He had left the school the moment class ended and didn’t join them for dinner.
Zhao Tianxing had eaten with them a few times over this period, gradually becoming much more familiar with both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
Zhang Yu even discovered that Bai Zhenzhen seemed much more relaxed around Zhao Tianxing than she was around Zhou Tianyi.
Just then, Zhao Tianxing could be heard complaining, “How much longer is the cafeteria’s electronic screen going to display the monthly exam scores? It’s not even convenient to see the prices when getting food now.”
Zhang Yu took a bite of rice and sighed, “Little Zhao, that’s where your perspective is too narrow. The school displays the exam scores to urge everyone to study hard. I think it’s fine if they display it for a few more days.”
At his side, Bai Zhenzhen also nodded slightly. “Exams are the fundamental duty of a student, after all. How can the importance of displaying scores compare to the mere price of food?”
Zhao Tianxing looked speechlessly at the two of them, especially Zhang Yu.
Then he suddenly realized that Zhang Yu was no longer the student whose monthly exam rank had been similar to his; they were no longer in the same social class on campus.
Those actions that deeply stung other students, frantically applied pressure, and incited vicious infighting among them were now, for the current Zhang Yu, nothing but a blatant form of showing off.
Just a few days ago, Zhang Yu was right there with me, vehemently criticizing these inhumane school practices.
And now he’s become like this. He lamented internally, Do people really change this fast once their scores get higher?
Bai Zhenzhen looked at Zhang Yu and smiled.
“Yu-boy, you seem to be in a very good mood.”
It was more than just good.
Zhang Yu felt on top of the world right now.
He had never found the scenery of Songyang High School so beautiful, nor the students and teachers so warm.
For him, who had to persevere in ascetic training every single day, this was the most beautiful sight, a rare comfort, a reward from the heavens for his diligence and self-discipline.
Zhang Yu waved his hand humbly.
“Alas, it’s all just useless, empty fame.”
“I don’t know why everyone likes to come looking for me all of a sudden.”
“Zhen, you’ve been first in the grade for so long, how come not as many people have come to hang out with you?”
Bai Zhenzhen pursed her lips, her face full of disdain.
“Because my first place offers them no hope of catching up. All they feel is the absolute gap between our talents. But your sudden improvement makes them feel like it’s possible to imitate you. That’s why every last one of them wants to be your good friend, to spy on the secret of your progress.”
Bai Zhenzhen devoured a chicken leg in one bite, mercilessly exposing the cruel reality.
“In the world of high school, scores are king.”
“A book of select practice problems, a paid talisman technique, or some practical combat experience learned in a cram school—any of these is enough to make countless high school students flock to it. To say nothing of the mystery behind your seventy-point improvement in one month; even the top ten academic stars in our grade can’t help but be tempted.”
“These students coming to find you aren’t really here to be your friends. They just want to obtain the secret to your massive score increase, and ideally, transfer those seventy points of progress onto themselves.”
Nearby, Zhao Tianxing shifted his weight, and the two chairs beneath him let out a groan as if unable to bear the load.
He thought to himself, I placed tenth this time, and I did intentionally try to get closer to Zhang Yu before.
Could Bai Zhenzhen’s words be directed at me?
Although I really do want to learn some of their excellent study habits, and maybe take the opportunity to ask Zhang Yu the secret to his rapid improvement…
At this thought, he squirmed even more, feeling the atmosphere at the table grow tense, and he temporarily suppressed the idea of asking Zhang Yu for his secret.
It wasn’t until he parted ways with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, watching one take the bus and the other the subway, that Zhao Tianxing was still pondering the matter.
Was Bai Zhenzhen really talking about me?
On the bus.
Just after getting on, while being jostled by the crowd, Zhang Yu felt his phone vibrate.
He took it out and saw a message from Bai Zhenzhen.
“The student council will probably approach you about a contract in the next few days.”
“No matter what they offer, don’t agree to anything yet.”
“Wait until I’ve finished my talks with them, and then we can discuss it together.”
Reading Bai Zhenzhen’s message, Zhang Yu’s gaze flickered.
So the advanced contracts are handled by the student council?
Zhang Yu had never really known much about Songyang High School’s student council.
In his mind, a high school student council? What could they possibly do?
But judging from Bai Zhenzhen’s words, the student council was clearly not simple; it even held the power to negotiate contracts with students.
I wonder what the terms of my contract will be.
From the sound of it, does Zhen want us to present a united front? To raise the price together?
After a few seconds of fruitless thought, he heard the countdown timer resound in his mind, forcing him to temporarily cast aside these stray thoughts and start scrolling through the textbooks saved on his phone.
However, after looking at the material for a while—whether due to the feedback from his exam results or the impending contract—Zhang Yu felt somewhat restless on the bus today and couldn’t focus on his reading.
He simply put his phone away and began to contemplate his current cultivation path.
The ritual’s power, for its part, did not compel him in this line of thought.
After all, pondering the road ahead and planning his cultivation… it all aligned with his desire to study hard, cultivate hard, get into a good university, work hard, and earn enough money to eventually buy all the antiques in his shopping cart.
First, I’ll get the Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method to level 10.
The next target is the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art, but that martial heart art requires a level 3 Dao heart. That means I’ll have to practice the Basic Heart Tempering Art first, raising it to level 10 while also getting my Dao heart to level 3, and then I can practice the Heavenly Martial Heart-Tempering Art…
After that, the only things I have left to practice are the basic breathing exercise, Freehand Combat, and Basic High School Swordplay.
After confirming his future plans, Zhang Yu thought of his current savings of over seventy thousand yuan and the potential income from signing a contract, and an idea inevitably surfaced.
Should I buy some more powerful, more effective cultivation techniques?
Previously, Zhang Yu had no money, so he’d never had such a plan.
But after receiving sixty-six thousand from Wang Hai today, Zhang Yu couldn’t stop thinking about how to spend it.
Spiritual roots, talismans, combat experience… many things he hadn’t dared to consider before now sparked vague ideas in his mind, and he was just waiting to see how much money he would have after the contract negotiations before making concrete plans.
And now, as he considered the future of his training, the idea of purchasing cultivation techniques couldn’t help but rise in his mind as well.
“Even if I don’t buy anything, I can at least take a look and get an idea of what’s out there.”
The phone screen flashed as Zhang Yu opened a shopping website and entered his real-name account.
After another facial recognition scan, Zhang Yu finally entered the marketplace for Immortal Dao cultivation techniques, though with his current status, he could only view techniques for the Qi Refining stage.
The moment he entered, he saw a recommendation bar that read, “Your friends are viewing”: Yin Maiden Grand Art (Unisex Version), Great Dream Heart Sutra: Cultivate in Your Sleep, Nine Heavens Crash Course in Eight-Part Talismans…